Shirt wrapping



S. LIGHTER samr WRAPPING Oct. 10, 1939.

Filed March 23, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. i W BY ATTORNEY.

S. LIGHTER snm'r WRAPPING Oct. 10, 1939.

Filed March 23, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS w Oct. 10, 1939. s. LIGHTER 2,175,666

SHIRT WRAPPING Filed larch 23, 1938 3 Sheqts-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY 3 1VENTOR.

Patented Oct-1o, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE snm'r WRAPPING StephenLighter, Chicago, Ill. Application March as, 1938, Serial No. 197,545 3Claims. (Cl. 206-46) This invention relates generally to improvements inthe art of packing and protecting diverse articles such as wearingapparel during handling and storing thereof, and relates morespecifically to an improved shirt wrapping and to an improved method ofwrapping garments such as shirts.

Generally defined, an object of my present invention is the provision ofan improved mode of wrapping freshly laundered shirts and similarapparel so as to conceal and protect them during subsequent handling andstorage thereof.

As shown and described in my prior pending application Serial Number34,749, filed August 5, 1935, I have heretofore proposed to wrap cleanshirts by first folding each individual shirt about an elongated cardboard and by subsequentlyenwrapping the folded shirt within a paperprotector having upwardly extending central tabs adapted to be foldedover and beneath the front portions of the shirt collar after thesecollar portions had been lined with a reenforcing cardboard strip. Withthis prior method of wrapping, the shirt was universally provided withbut a single transverse intermediate fold located about sixteen inchesfrom its upper and lower extremity, after the sleeves and sides had beenfolded rearwardly thereof and the internal reenforcing cardboard hadbeen inserted; and a relatively long and narrow package was thusproduced which because of its extreme length required some kind ofinternal reenforcement in order to avoid excessive creasing andwrinkling of the garment. The production of these long packages was notonly objectionable because they could not be conveniently placedvertically or across and within an ordinary travelers suitcase or bag,but also because of the expense involved in the provision of alonginternal 'reenforcing board and a correspondingly long external wrapper.Heretofore these stiffening boards were universally used, and when largequantities of these shirts are thus enwrapped, the cost becomesappreciable, thus making the prior method relatively objectionable tothe larger laundries, in spite of the fact that my prior wrappers areperfectly practicable and do satisfactorily protect the goods.

It is therefore a more specific object of my present invention toprovide an improved method of enwrapping such articles as launderedshirts, whereby a more compact and attractive package may be produced ata considerable saving in cost and materials.

Another specific object of this invention is the provision of a new anduseful shirt wrapping which is more durable in construction, which maybe more conveniently applied, and which will more effectively protectthe article with which it is associated. In accordance with my presentimprovement, I find that the use of an internal reenforcing andstiffening board can be readily dispensed with, and a considerably morecompact and not undesirably thick package may be produced, by properlypositioning the sleeves and cuffs and by shortening the folds of theshirt. This improved folding materially decreases the length of thepackage, thus considerably shortening the outer wrapper besideseliminating the internal reenforcing board, and I construct the outerwrapper so that the entire front portions of a collar and the shouldersof any size shirt may be totally covered with protecting materialsecured at the back and held in place against the shirt front, by asimple retaining strip of resilient cardboard sprung within the collar.The wrapper when applied has no outwardly exposed slits which mightcause accidental tearing, and is provided with an improved tab or tonguewhich coacts with collars of various sizes. The final package producedwith my improved wrapping may be conveniently handled and stored, andproduces an attractive and neat appearance. The new wrapper besides morethoroughly protecting the entire shirt without undesirably concealingthe laundry mark, is also less apt to tear during application thereof tothe garment and during subsequent handling of the package, and canmoreover be more quickly applied. r

A clear conception of the improved mode of packing shirts, and of theconstruction of my present improved wrappers, may be had by referring tothe drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specificationwherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts inthe various views.

Fig. 1 is a rear view of a conventional shirt showing the initial stepof one mode of folding such a shirt with folded cuffs, in accordancewith my invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same shirt with both sleeves foldedinwardly and one side folded rearwardly;

Fig. 3 is another similar view of the same shirt with both side portionsfolded rearwardly and "with the bottom or tail portion also foldedupwardly and rearwardly;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged front view of the finally folded shirt of Figs. 1to 3 inclusive;

Fig. 5 is a rear view of another-conventional shirt initially folded ina manner similar to Fig. 1, but with the cuffs distended;

' Fig. 6 is a similar view of the shirt of Fig. 5 with both sleevesfolded inwardly and with one side folded rearwardly;

Fig. 7 is another similar view of the shirt of Figs. 5 and 6, with bothsides folded rearwardly, and with the tail portion folded upwardly andrearwardly;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged front view of the shirt of Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive,in completely folded condition;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of one of my improved shirt wrappers;

Fig. 10 is a rear view of a shirt folded as in either Fig. 4 or 8, andconfined within the wrapper of Fig, 9;

Fig. 11 is a front view of a folded shirt embraced by a wrapper such asshown in Fig. 9, but before final application of the wrapper retainingstrip to the shirt collar;

Fig. 12 is a front view ofa finally enwrapped shirt having a collar ofrelatively large size: and

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 12, but showing a shirthaving a relatively small collar.

Whilemy invention has been shown and described herein as beingespecially applicable to mens shirts with the collars attached, and onlyone mode of fastening the ends of the wrapper at the rear of the shirthas been shown, it is not the intent to thereby unnecessarily restrictthe scope.

In accordance with my present invention, I provide an improved packagefor shirts, without utilizing inner reinforcing or stiffening boards ofanykind, while maintaining suflicient rigidity or stiffness in thepackage to prevent creasing, crushing and wrinkling during handling ofthe package. This desirable result is accomplished primarily by properlyinitially folding the shirts with the cuffs either folded or distended,but properly positioned so as to reenforce or stiffen the package; andby also properly folding the shirt tails and the intermediate shirtportions so as to enhance the rigidity.

Referring specifically to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, I have hereinillustrated one mode of folding a shirt, wherein both sleeves l5 arefirst reversely folded rearwardly across the upper portion of the backl5 of the shirt as illustratedin Fig. 1, with the cuffs I1 closed orfolded and disposed near the opposite sides of the collar l8. After thesleeves I5 have been thus positioned, the opposite side portions IQ ofthe shirt are folded rearwardly as indicated in Fig. 2, and after thishas been done, the tail portion 20 should be folded rearwardly andupwardly over the intermediate part of the assemblage as depicted inFig. 3. To complete the folding of the shirt, the tail portion 20together with the intermediate shirt portion with which it coacts,should be again folded upwardly and rearwardly about the lower edges ofthe sleeves l5, to the position shown in Fig. 4. The multiple folds willthen cooperate with each other and with the sleeves l5 and cuffs l! toprovide a compact and stiff, but not undesirably thick folded assemblagewherein the relatively rigid cuffs are disposed closely adjacent to theopposite side edges.

In Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive, I have shown the same shirt folded in likemanner but with the cuffs l1 distended or spread out. In Fig. 5 thecuffs I1 have been initially positioned with respect to their carryingsleeves I 5, and one of the sleeves has been folded inwardly across theback [5. After both cuffs and sleeves have been thus folded, theopposite side portions I! of the shirt should be folded rearwardly overeach other as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, whereupon the foldingoperation may be finally completed as indicated in Figs. '7 and 8 byfolding the tail portion 20 and the mid-section of the shirt rearwardlyand upwardly. This mode of folding the shirt likewise produces arelatively stiff folded assemblage by virtue of the fact that the flatand rather rigid cuffs I! extend throughout the major part of thepackage length and are again disposed near the side edges thereof.

My improved wrapper and the method of applying the same to a foldedshirt, is shown in detail in Figs. 9 to 13 inclusive. The wrappercomprises in general a substantially rectangular sheet 2| of any desiredlength and of height approximately equal to that of the. pre-foldedshirt, the sheet having a central vertical slit 22 terminating at thecenter of a tongue 23, and also having two substantially V-shaped uppernotches 26 the lower ends of which are directed toward the tongue 23 soas to provide similar but oppositely directed tabs 25. The sheet 2|should be of sufiicient length so as to afford considerable overlap atthe side edge portions 28 when the wrapper is folded about thepre-folded shirt as in Fig. 10, and the overlapping end portions 26 maybe attached to each other with pasters 21 or in any other suitablemanner.

After the wrapper sheet 2| has been placed about the shirt and fastenedas in Fig. 10, the tabs 25, notches 24 and tongue 23 will be positionedas illustrated in Fig. 11, and the enwrapping operation may bethereafter readily completed by merely inserting a flexible retainerstrip 28 within the front portion of the shirt collar l8 as shown inFigs. 12 and 13. The wrapper is so constructed, that if the collar I8 isof large size, the tongue 23 as well as the tabs 25 will be foldedtherein upon insertion of the retainer strip 28 as shown in Fig. 12; butif the collar I8 is of small size, the tongue 23 will remain fiat andonly the tabs 25 will be folded as in Fig. 13. By virtue of theformation of the notches 24 and the provisions of the tongue 23, thewrapper sheet 2| will not tear during application of the strip 28 orduring subsequent handling; and while the corners of the tabs 25 serveto protect the shirt within the collar I 8, they do not undesirablyconceal laundry marks or the like.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be apparent that mypresent invention provides an improved package for shirts, and animproved mode of producing such a package, whereby laundered shirts maybe more compactly and attractively wrapped at a considerable saving .incost of materials. The improved wrapper may obviously be decorated orprinted so as to enhance the esthetic appearance of the wrapper, and thewrapper sheet will not tear readily because of the inward slope of thenotches 2| toward the tongue 23, and also because of the provision ofthe central tongue. With the improved wrapper it is unnecessary toutilize inner stiffening sheets or boards, especially when the cuffs ofthe shirt are folded and disposed as indicated in the drawings. Thewrapper of my present invention extends above the top of the shoulderswhere the package is most apt to be held, and while the wrapper affordssubstantially complete protection for all portions of the shirt,

it does not undesirably conceal laundry marks and other markings withinthe collar of the shirt. The multiple folding of the shirt. besidesadding rigidity and stiffness to the package, also produces a morecompact final assemblage which can be readily placed crosswise within anordinary travelling bag, and since no slits are visible from the outsideof the completed package, the wrapper will not tear readily due tohandling of the package. The improvement has proven highly successful inactual commercial use, and has also proven very superior to any otherknown type of wrapping.

It should be understood that it is'not desired to limit this inventionto the exact details of construction or to the precise mode of use,herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scopeof the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art;

I claim:

1. A package comprising, a shirt having its sleeves and opposite sidesfolded rearwardly and being double folded transversely to position thesleeves and two folds of the lower portiom beneath the chest and collarportions, and a single substantially rectangular wrapper embracing saidassemblage and having overlapped end portions secured at the rear of theassemblage, said wrapper also having a central slit terminating at atransverse slit forming a tongue near the front of the shirt collar andbeing provided with notches in its upper edge on opposite sides of thecentral slit directed toward the extreme ends of assemblage, saidwrapper also having a central slit forming tabs and terminating at atrans-- verse slit forming a tongue near the front of the shirtcollarand being provided with notches in its upper'ed'ge on opposite sides ofthe central slit directed towardthe extreme ends of said transverse slitto form tabs foldable along lines following the direction of saidnotches, and a retainer strip disposed within the shirt collar to snuglyconfine said tabs therein.

3. A shirt wrapper comprising, a single approximately rectangular sheethaving a downwardly directed central slit terminating at the center ofan upwardly curved transverse slit forming a tongue, and being providedat its upper edge on opposite sides of said central slit with V-notchesthe lower ends of which are inclined toward the extreme ends of saidtransverse slit and which form approximately triangular tabs 30 foldablealong lines following the direction of inclination of said notches.

LIGHTER.

